2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Full Weekend Report & Highlights

As in previous years, the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi hosted the season’s final F1 race, the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, on December 13, 2020. Marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked the seventeenth and final race of the year.

Following the cancellation and postponement of multiple Grand Prix after the disrupted opener in Australia, the FIA had to create a revised schedule for the 2020 season. Consequently, the Bahrain Grand Prix was rescheduled to the original date of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, resulting in a two-week delay for the final event. Amidst an increase in COVID-19 infections, the decision was made to conduct the race behind closed doors without spectators.

Shortly before the race, it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would drive, having now tested negative for the coronavirus. A positive result had led him to miss the previous round in Sakhir, during which George Russell, driving for Williams at the time, stepped in to fill his spot.

Max Verstappen driving for Red Bull Racing emerged as the winner, dominating the race by leading every lap from pole position. He was followed by Mercedes teammates Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, who finished second and third respectively.

Race Guide

Season: 2020 F1 World Championship
Race date: 13 December 2020
Race start time: 17:10 local time (UTC+04:00)
Circuit: Yas Marina Circuit
Laps: 55 laps
Circuit length: 5.554 km
2019 winner: Lewis Hamilton

Pole position
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:35.246
Fastest lap
Driver	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault
Time	1:40.926 on lap 55
Podium
First	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Second	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Third	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
11 December 2020	Practice 1	13:00 – 14:30
11 December 2020	Practice 2	17:00 – 18:30
12 December 2020	Practice 3	14:00 – 15:00
12 December 2020	Qualifying	17:00 – 18:00
13 December 2020	Race	17:10

All times are local (UTC+04:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship Background

Hamilton and Mercedes had already secured first in the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, but Verstappen’s victory ensured that Red Bull Racing won their first race at Yas Marina in seven years and secured the team second in the championship.

McLaren achieved third place in the 2020 Constructors’ Championship, their best performance since 2012. This also broke a trend, as it was the first time since 2015 that a team outside of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull to clinch a top-three finish in the Constructors’ Championship.

Race entries

Lewis Hamilton returned to Mercedes after missing Sakhir, and George Russell resumed his Williams seat. Pietro Fittipaldi continued at Haas in place of Romain Grosjean. Mick Schumacher drove Kevin Magnussen‘s car in FP1, while Robert Kubica replaced Antonio Giovinazzi for the opening session at Alfa Romeo Racing.

Sebastian Vettel was making his final Ferrari appearance, Carlos Sainz his last for McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo his last for Renault before their respective moves. Racing Point and Renault were also preparing for new team identities in the following season.

Free Practice

Max Verstappen led FP1 with a 1:37.378, only 0.034 seconds ahead of Valtteri Bottas. Esteban Ocon was third as Hamilton returned to the cockpit and the substitute practice drivers completed their programmes.

Bottas topped FP2 with a 1:36.276, ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen. The session was interrupted when Kimi Räikkönen‘s Alfa Romeo caught fire; he stopped and escaped without injury.

Verstappen set the pace again in FP3 with a 1:36.251. Alexander Albon completed a Red Bull Racing one-two, followed by Daniel Ricciardo, giving the team encouragement before the season’s final qualifying session.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP1, 11 December 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:37.378	26
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.034s	32
3	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.137s	34
4	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.169s	25
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+1.366s	24
6	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.453s	25
7	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.578s	25
8	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.772s	27
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.782s	30
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.821s	22
11	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.952s	27
12	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.966s	25
13	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.974s	28
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+2.292s	19
15	88	Robert Kubica	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.527s	19
16	63	George Russell	Williams	+3.068s	24
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+3.685s	27
18	50	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+3.857s	23
19	51	Pietro Fittipaldi	Haas	+6.691s	24
20	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault		3

Free Practice 2 Classification

2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP2, 11 December 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:36.276	28
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.203s	30
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.770s	30
4	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+0.987s	33
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.162s	29
6	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.229s	30
7	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.230s	35
8	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.232s	31
9	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.232s	29
10	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.284s	29
11	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.320s	32
12	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.340s	31
13	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.624s	32
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.792s	28
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.922s	32
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.228s	35
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.288s	31
18	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.541s	24
19	51	Pietro Fittipaldi	Haas	+2.751s	25
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.856s	31

Free Practice 3 Classification

2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP3, 12 December 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:36.251	16
2	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+0.501s	15
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+0.626s	12
4	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+0.648s	15
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.743s	13
6	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.761s	16
7	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+0.779s	16
8	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+0.817s	12
9	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.834s	16
10	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+0.976s	13
11	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.015s	17
12	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.019s	14
13	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.120s	18
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.477s	16
15	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.635s	16
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.649s	16
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.018s	16
18	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.206s	14
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.514s	17
20	51	Pietro Fittipaldi	Haas	+2.908s	15

Qualifying

Max Verstappen claimed his first pole of the season with a 1:35.246, edging Valtteri Bottas by 0.025 seconds and Lewis Hamilton by 0.086. It was a finely judged final lap that finally broke Mercedes‘ qualifying hold on the venue.

Lando Norris qualified fourth, ahead of Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz. Charles Leclerc carried a three-place penalty from the Sakhir opening-lap incident, while power-unit penalties sent Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen to the rear of the grid.

Qualifying Classification

2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying, 12 December 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:35.993	1:35.641	1:35.246	19
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:35.699	1:35.527	1:35.271	18
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:35.528	1:35.466	1:35.332	20
4	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:36.016	1:35.849	1:35.497	17
5	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	1:36.106	1:35.654	1:35.571	15
6	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	1:36.517	1:36.192	1:35.815	14
7	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	1:36.459	1:36.214	1:35.963	20
8	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	1:36.502	1:36.143	1:36.046	15
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:35.881	1:35.932	1:36.065	20
10	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:36.545	1:36.282	1:36.242	20
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	1:36.783	1:36.359	—	12
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	1:36.704	1:36.406	—	9
13	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:36.655	1:36.631	—	12
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:37.075	1:38.248	—	12
15	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1:36.034	No time	—	4
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:37.555	—	—	6
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:37.863	—	—	9
18	63	George Russell	Williams	1:38.045	—	—	8
19	51	Pietro Fittipaldi	Haas	1:38.173	—	—	9
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:38.443	—	—	7

Charles Leclerc received a three-place grid penalty for causing a collision at the Sakhir Grand Prix.

Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen were required to start from the back of the grid for exceeding their quotas of power unit elements.

What happened in the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Ahead of the start, Charles Leclerc had received a three-place grid penalty due to his involvement in a collision with Sergio Pérez at the previous Sakhir Grand Prix. Additionally, both Pérez and Kevin Magnussen were required to begin the race from the back of the grid, as they had exceeded their allotted quotas of power unit components.

From lights out, Verstappen, starting in pole position, dominated the race, leading every lap. By the chequered flag, he was followed by Bottas over 15 seconds behind and Hamilton 18 seconds, who maintained their starting grid positions and completed the podium spots.

Alex Albon successfully overtook Lando Norris to secure 4th place, leaving Norris in 5th, just ahead of his McLaren teammate Carlos Sainz in 6th.

McLaren’s third-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship was aided by Racing Point‘s Sergio Pérez’s retirement on lap 9 due to a technical issue.

Renault‘s Daniel Ricciardo, who clocked the fastest lap, came home in 7th, followed by Pierre Gasly in 8th. Esteban Ocon made a last-lap move to take 9th from Lance Stroll, and the highest-placed Ferrari-powered car was Kimi Räikkönen‘s Alfa Romeo in 12th, leading the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel. Pietro Fittipaldi, standing in for the injured Romain Grosjean, finished last in 19th, two laps behind Verstappen.

2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix post-race debrief

The race marked Daniil Kvyat‘s final appearance in Formula One, as he was set to be replaced by Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri in 2021 following the non-renewal of his contract. Kvyat subsequently moved to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Hamilton faced criticism post-race after stating he hadn’t felt “100%” since contracting COVID-19, despite expressing gratitude for being alive.

Verstappen, content with his win, remained cautious about Red Bull’s prospects as title contenders in 2021. Meanwhile, George Russell shared that readjusting to the Williams car for this event was more challenging than adapting to the Mercedes during the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.

A significant change marked the postseason for two teams: it was the last event for the Silverstone-based team under the Racing Point name and for the Enstone-based team as Renault. For the 2021 season, these teams would be known as Aston Martin and Alpine, respectively.

The weekend was also notable as it was the 100th Grand Prix for Haas and the 400th for the team formally known as Renault.

2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Results

The 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held on 13 December 2020, with a scheduled start of 17:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	55	1:36:28.645	25
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	55	+15.976s	18
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	55	+18.415s	15
4	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	55	+19.987s	12
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	55	+60.729s	10
6	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	55	+65.662s	8
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	55	+73.748s	7
8	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	55	+89.718s	4
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	55	+101.069s	2
10	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	55	+102.738s	1
11	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	54	+1 lap	0
12	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	54	+1 lap	0
13	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	54	+1 lap	0
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	54	+1 lap	0
15	63	George Russell	Williams	54	+1 lap	0
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	54	+1 lap	0
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	54	+1 lap	0
18	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	54	+1 lap	0
19	51	Pietro Fittipaldi	Haas	53	+2 laps	0
Ret	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	8	Power unit	0

Daniel Ricciardo earned the additional point for fastest lap.

2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	55	18:51:11	1:40.926	198.109
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	14	17:40:35	1:40.958	198.046
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	40	18:24:40	1:41.131	197.707
4	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	42	18:28:15	1:41.227	197.520
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	37	18:19:39	1:41.420	197.144
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	37	18:21:01	1:41.475	197.037
7	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	29	18:07:27	1:41.675	196.650
8	51	Pietro Fittipaldi	Haas	50	18:44:58	1:41.707	196.588
9	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	41	18:27:32	1:41.866	196.281
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	24	17:58:34	1:41.908	196.200
11	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	48	18:39:06	1:41.947	196.125
12	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	53	18:47:33	1:41.964	196.092
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	50	18:44:39	1:41.999	196.025
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	53	18:48:18	1:42.148	195.739
15	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	53	18:48:01	1:42.474	195.116
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	49	18:42:04	1:42.497	195.073
17	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	47	18:37:55	1:42.704	194.679
18	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	47	18:37:53	1:42.894	194.320
19	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	6	17:24:12	1:43.263	193.625
20	63	George Russell	Williams	54	18:50:29	1:43.328	193.504

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h.

2020 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

2020 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

2020 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

Racing Point’s constructors’ total includes the 15-point deduction imposed over its rear brake ducts. The drivers’ points were unaffected.